A 5-month-old infant is brought to a clinic after having diarrhea for two days. The nurse checks the baby’s anterior fontanel and notices that it appears sunken. What has caused this?

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Generally, the anterior fontanel of a baby stops or closes at about eighteen months of age. This part of the head allows for the growth of the skull and brain during the first months of an infant. A depressed or sunken fontanelle in infants is associated with diarrhea or vomiting, at times both. This may lead to a severely dehydrated baby because of the loss of body fluids. The condition is caused by elevated intracranial pressure in the skull. The pressure in the skull builds up as a result of the accumulation of fluids in the brain.

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Academic.Tips. (2022) 'A 5-month-old infant is brought to a clinic after having diarrhea for two days. The nurse checks the baby’s anterior fontanel and notices that it appears sunken. What has caused this'. 28 November.

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Academic.Tips. (2022, November 28). A 5-month-old infant is brought to a clinic after having diarrhea for two days. The nurse checks the baby’s anterior fontanel and notices that it appears sunken. What has caused this? https://academic.tips/question/a-5-month-old-infant-is-brought-to-a-clinic-after-having-diarrhea-for-two-days-the-nurse-checks-the-babys-anterior-fontanel-and-notices-that-it-appears-sunken-what-has-caused-this/

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Academic.Tips. 2022. "A 5-month-old infant is brought to a clinic after having diarrhea for two days. The nurse checks the baby’s anterior fontanel and notices that it appears sunken. What has caused this?" November 28, 2022. https://academic.tips/question/a-5-month-old-infant-is-brought-to-a-clinic-after-having-diarrhea-for-two-days-the-nurse-checks-the-babys-anterior-fontanel-and-notices-that-it-appears-sunken-what-has-caused-this/.

1. Academic.Tips. "A 5-month-old infant is brought to a clinic after having diarrhea for two days. The nurse checks the baby’s anterior fontanel and notices that it appears sunken. What has caused this?" November 28, 2022. https://academic.tips/question/a-5-month-old-infant-is-brought-to-a-clinic-after-having-diarrhea-for-two-days-the-nurse-checks-the-babys-anterior-fontanel-and-notices-that-it-appears-sunken-what-has-caused-this/.

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Academic.Tips. "A 5-month-old infant is brought to a clinic after having diarrhea for two days. The nurse checks the baby’s anterior fontanel and notices that it appears sunken. What has caused this?" November 28, 2022. https://academic.tips/question/a-5-month-old-infant-is-brought-to-a-clinic-after-having-diarrhea-for-two-days-the-nurse-checks-the-babys-anterior-fontanel-and-notices-that-it-appears-sunken-what-has-caused-this/.

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"A 5-month-old infant is brought to a clinic after having diarrhea for two days. The nurse checks the baby’s anterior fontanel and notices that it appears sunken. What has caused this?" Academic.Tips, 28 Nov. 2022, academic.tips/question/a-5-month-old-infant-is-brought-to-a-clinic-after-having-diarrhea-for-two-days-the-nurse-checks-the-babys-anterior-fontanel-and-notices-that-it-appears-sunken-what-has-caused-this/.

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